“Well…” She stared at him helplessly for a moment, then allowed her frustration to rouse her own temper. “Nay, you are right. It will not. No woman wishes to sleep with a stinking, filthy oaf of a man unless she herself stinks so bad she does not notice his stench.” She glared at him, chin up. “’Tis understandable. It seems I am not so different from everyone else.”

“Are ye not? Well, I would be reminding ye we did not have this problem ere ye arrived.”

“That’s because the women stunk then, too.”

He glared at her. “The men are all comin’ to me, looking fer the answer. They wish to ken if I have the same problem with ye, and wha’ I do about it.”

Iliana shrugged. “What did you tell them?”

“I told them ye caused this problem and ye would fix it. Now…” He propped his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows. “What are ye going to do about it?”

Iliana glared back, then shook her head in bewilderment. “I do not understand why you all do not simply take a bath. If you and the men would simply bathe—”

“’Tis only the middle of June.”

“Aye, I know it is, but surely—”

“We have a certain order here, wife. There is a certain time o’ year that the sheep are sheared, a certain time o’ year that the fields are reaped, and a certain time o’ year that we take a bath.”

“Bathing is not a seasonal activity, husband. You could bathe anytime and not suffer for it. You could not harvest the fields at any time. They are two entirely different things.”

“Ye don’t ken what I am saying—”

“Aye, I do!” Iliana snapped, then sighed. “Seonaid explained to me about the plaids and how grease and dirt keep out the rain. She explained about oatcakes on marches. I understand that you fear the men going soft, but what of the women?”

He blinked at that. “What?”

“Are you not lord over all who reside here?”

“My father—” he began, but Iliana cut him off with irritation.

“Do not quote semantics at me, husband. Legally and technically ’tis true your father is laird here, but in reality you are the one to give the orders. I have seen it. Do you not rule over the women as well as the men?”

“Aye.”

“Then why do you not concern yourself with the welfare of the women as well? ’Tis all well and fine that the men must brave the weather and make do with oatcakes while on marches, but what of the women?”

When he merely frowned at her, Iliana sighed.

“Could there not be a compromise? Could the men not have two plaids? One that is clean and pleasant to look upon while they are here at the keep with their wives, and one that is greased and dirty to protect them from the elements when away?”